Life in Lockdown: Kieran Page
Suffolk based Illustrator Kieran Page talks sanity survival, taking a step back from artistic practice, and how that ultimately helped him keep the wheels of creativity turning.
Pedal (from the series Freedom where Freedom’s Hard to Find), Kieran Page ©
“Lockdown meant so many different things for so many of us - some musicians seemed to jump at the opportunity, some artists learnt new skills, but for me, it was a creativity killer. I was lucky enough to continue to work from home throughout the ordeal, but as a result, my creative outlet took a blow. My free time was focused on sanity survival, which took the form of running and cycling. I tried so hard to push myself creatively during lockdown; tried sculptures using oven bake clay (which flopped so bad), picked up a paintbrush for the first time in years, created positive artworks, painted a piano, did a series of house plant still lifes (I also purchased way too many house plants... all in the name of creativity of course). So, in other words, I tried flippin’ everything I could think of to stay productive, but it just became quite destructive - I hated everything I did. So I gave my poor brain a break - I set running and cycling goals, I stuck to them and I only returned to my art when I was completely ready. The funny thing is, a week after this self-imposed art ban, I had a brain wave and started this piece [Pedal] with the spark I'd been missing.
I've learned a valuable lesson: you don't need to be at 100% all the time. Seems obvious, right? But it’s so easy to put too much pressure on yourself and begin to resent the one thing that’s keeping you sane. I'm vowing to give creativity (and myself) a break when I need it and to continue to work on finding that balance.”
